Candidates compete in redrawn districts for Lake County Board

October 24, 2012|By Jeff Danna | Tribune reporter

(Tribune illustration)

The Tribune asked candidates in contested races for Lake County Board five questions about issues facing county government.

This week the Tribune is running responses from Lake County Board candidates in contested races in districts 4, 6, 11, 13, 15 and 21. Responses will run on Nov. 1 from candidates in the remaining contested races — districts 1, 3, 5, 9, 16 and 19.

What is the biggest issue facing Lake County residents, and how would you address it as a County Board member?

District 4

Glenn Ryback (Democrat): Real Estate Taxes are crushing many residents. Senior Citizens on the Tax Freeze experience increases just as everyone else, which can be pretty challenging because Social Security doesn't offer raises or bonuses as the corporate world might. I would address it by not filling a $17 million shortfall in the County Budget by raising real estate taxes, which is exactly what was done by the County Board this year. Yes, my opponent voted in favor of the increase.

Brent C. Paxton (Republican): The biggest issue that I consistently hear about is high property taxes, and I must admit that I agree with them. However, addressing this issue is a much more complicated problem. The Lake County Board is only in charge of Lake County Government's portion of a person's total tax bill. And Lake County Government is less than 7 percent of a homeowner's total tax bill. This works out to be about $290 of a typical $6,000 tax bill that Lake County Government is responsible for. So I feel that the best way to address Lake County's portion of the property tax is to continue to use taxpayers' money as wisely and responsibly as possible, to keep our portion of the tax bill as low as possible. I would also continue to look for ways to cut expenses rather than raise taxes as a way to balance our budget (as we have done for years). Doing this has allowed us to cut over $17 million from our budget over the past few years rather than looking to the taxpayer to balance our budget.

District 6

Pat Carey (Democrat): I believe the biggest issue facing most people today is the economy, evidenced by fewer jobs, devalued homes, and high taxes. A healthy economy is important to our quality of life. Employment opportunities allow everyone to meet the needs of their families. Keeping jobs in the County cuts down on travel times and increases the tax base, helping our schools and decreasing the burden on homeowners. I currently serve on the Board of Lake County Partners, the economic development arm of the County. As a former economic development professional, I know what it takes to recruit and retain businesses, and through Partners, I work with municipalities and Lake County corporations to retain existing and bring new jobs to the County. We have achieved some successes in recent years, including the FedEx and Cornerstone projects in Grayslake. I have supported the use of incentives when they result in a positive benefit to the community in new jobs and increased tax base, but only if they also demonstrate a financial benefit to our schools and other taxing bodies.

While increased economic development can help to lessen the property tax burden on residents, we also need to control spending to keep the County's tax burden as low as possible. I have voted in favor of more than $17 million in cuts in the County Budget between 2009 and 2012. I refused a raise voted on by Members prior to my joining the Board and donated the amount of the raise back to the County. I serve as Vice-Chair of the Forest Preserve Finance Committee, where I have been a strong voice for fiscally conservative policies that have resulted in reduced expenditures, decreasing our operating budget by 5.5 percent in the 2011/2012 fiscal year and reducing our tax levy for four years in a row.

Jeff Werfel (Republican): I believe the most important issue facing Lake County over the next ten years is its overall economic viability and competitiveness both within Illinois and outside of it, especially given our shared border with the state of Wisconsin.

The three challenges driving this issue that I would address are:

• To responsibly manage Lake County's budget and finances while continuing to deliver high quality county services. County government needs to be as innovative and cost-effective as possible in the delivery of the services for which it is responsible

• To encourage more business/commercial development in Lake County to add jobs, improve the overall economy and assist in relieving more of the onerous residential property tax burden on our citizens.

• To continue to improve the county's roads and transportation infrastructure to reduce traffic congestion and encourage business/commercial development. I will support the efforts of the county to improve the roads it is responsible for, as well as all efforts by other levels of government to improve the local roads they are responsible for.